Design Thinking for Schools in India

In a world plagued with a multitude of issues, especially ones so interconnected to each other, our present and future requires more than just high scorers – we need problem solvers who have the ability to think critically, question, and create. One manner in which present schools can ensure this is through the intentional inculcation of the Design-Thinking approach in learning and curriculums. This mindset exists with the aim of equipping students to think creatively, critically, and empathetically, through shifting the learning process from rote learning to solving meaningful problems

What is design thinking?

Design thinking is essentially a human centered approach to solve real-world problems, where the primary focus is taught to  understand people’s requirements and struggles before moving to create solutions. This mindset’s inherent nature encourages innovation through experimentation and collaboration, and simultaneously teaches students that the best solutions arise from empathy and critical thinking, not just mere assumptions and theories.

Schools should consider including it, as the methodology that ultimately builds confidence in students to take on nuanced, real-world challenges – and makes classrooms all the more interesting and engaging with the goal of equipping students with future-ready skills that the rapidly-evolving world demands.

The stages of thinking involved

Design thinking typically involves 5 distinct stages of thinking:

  1. Empathize – Understanding users’ needs, struggles, and perspectives
  2. Define – Clearly and distinctly identifying the problem that needs to be dealt with
  3. Ideate – Brainstorming and generating multiple viable creative solutions
  4. Prototype – Build simple models or solutions
  5. Test – Gather feedback from various sets of users and improve continuously upon reflection

How Design Thinking Manifests in Schooling:

Design thinking isn’t merely a sole or detached manner of learning and applying – its very nature pushes for a holistic, integrated, and inter-disciplnary approach to problem solving, and thus can be mapped across various subjects. Some of these ways include, but are not limited to:

  • Science: Designing sustainable solutions to a variety of environmental issues
  • Mathematics: Creating user-focused solutions through word problem practice, visualization, physical models, and rapid experimentation
  • Social Studies: Brainstorming and developing creative solutions to problems plaguing communities and marginalized groups
  • Art and Design: The transformation of ideas into thought-provoking pieces and functional products.

Everything a student does as part of Design Thinking, moves significantly beyond theory and into early exposure to identifying flaws in the world and fixing them.

Through its inclusion, students eventually come to develop multiple skills such as creative/critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, communication, empathy, decision-making, resilience, innovation, and leadership skills – all of which significantly hone them as individuals and prepare them for the world outside school. Furthermore, through the process, they begin to develop an entrepreneurial and adaptive mindset and learn to see failure not as an end to their experimental endeavours, but as a pitstop fuelled by reflection – all in all, making them lifelong learners.

Hurdles preventing widespread application of Design-Thinking pedagogy:

Design Thinking is a creative manner for students to learn and contribute to real-world problem solving. However, despite all its advantages, it is yet to gain proper traction, especially in India, due to multiple practical limitations.

  • Firstly, there is limited awareness amongst educators regarding what precisely the approach entails and its benefits, thus, implementation also requires further teacher training.
  • Secondly, pre-existing curriculums in various schools are already often tightly structured, making it all the more difficult to include Design Thinking processes in syllabi without intense preparation in advance.
  • Thirdly, given how hands-on the approach is, schools lacking essential resources or slightly more contemporary infrastructure find themselves unable to progress beyond decades-old teaching methodologies and implement new ones with efficacy.
  • Fourthly, many Indian schools (and the parents involved) have a tendency to heavily focus upon the marks of students, rather than the purpose and process of education, thus indirectly hindering the application of approaches that aren’t as mainstream.

The above isn’t to say that there is no scope for progress, rather, identifying the hurdles ensure that with time each can be individually dealt with to ensure our present and upcoming generations of students are lifelong learners.

What Kiya does for your child:

At Kiya World School we inculcate Design Thinking as a subject from a Primary Level itself, where students are required to design various solutions for real life dilemmas. With our state-of-the-art Design and Innovation lab, we attempt to ensure that our students are given the best of amenities with the inclusion of modern technologies, such as:

  • Digital Prototyping Tools
  • AI-assisted brainstorming
  • 3D printing
  • Coding and Robotics
  • Virtual Collaboration Platforms
  • Design Softwares

In our future-tailored curriculum, we make it a point that each child is constantly up-to-date with the concepts taught and push them to brainstorm further through:

  • The provision of kits which are mapped to each concept taught in core subjects
  • Weekly assignments of projects related to core subjects taught
  • Age-appropriate real-life projects during summer breaks

Our classroom practices themselves involve a multitude of valuable things:

  • Focusing on project based learning and hands-on-activities to nurture curiosity and inquiry in an organic manner
  • Conducting brainstorming sessions to ensure that concept mapping and praxis become easier with time
  • Pushing for collaboration to learn teamwork and create using multiple perspectives
  • Using real-world case studies to build general knowledge and reduce detachment from the task at hand
  • Nurturing student-led innovation challenges to create a sense of responsibility and greater incentive to create

At Kiya, teachers too have a significant role to play when aiding with Design-Thinking. Because so much of the innovation hinges on students’ pro-activeness, teachers participate largely through guidance and supervision. Rather than conforming to the typical standard of lecturing, they act as facilitators in discussions – creating spaces for experimentation, reflection, and iteration, and encouraging questioning and exploration through multiple media.

Conclusion:

The future demands creativity and problem solving, and the honing of innate human qualities such as empathy and ethical decision making is essential for what is to come – both in terms of jobs that may become more innovative, and in terms of understanding the intricacies of the world.

Ultimately, design thinking transforms students from passive learners to active creators, nurturing innovation, resilience, and purpose. Schools that embed design thinking today (or in the near future) are preparing learners to shape tomorrow’s worlds – not just succeed in examinations.

Curious about design thinking in action? See why families across Gambhiram choose Kiya, or begin your child’s admissions journey today.